When We First Met
by yodumbledorewheresmyletter
Summary: (Four and Tris meet in Abnegation) I first met Tobias when I was ten. I don't remember much about day, but if I knew how important that first meeting would come to be, I would have paid attention to every single detail. So here it is, for you all to read, the night that changed my life:
1. Chapter 1

I first met Tobias when I was ten. I don't remember much about day, but if I knew how important that first meeting would come to be, I would have paid attention to every single detail. So here it is, for you all to read, the night that changed my life:

There had been some sort of incident in the office that day that caused a lot of commotion. My father had invited Marcus to dinner so they could work out how to solve the problem. I only remember a few things that night, but the soulless glint in Marcus' pitch black eyes as he judged my every move at the dinner table will forever be engraved in my heart.

"I do hope Tobias is feeling better after his mother's death. He's such a lovely boy, you should be proud, Marcus." My mother said warmly as she set down the bowl of peas.

"He's doing fine. We're doing fine. You don't need to worry about us, Edith." Marcus replied harshly before turning to my father and trying to start a conversation. I saw my mother raise her eyebrows slightly for a moment or two in reaction to Marcus' response.

"And where is he tonight? Was he too busy to come with you?" Mother questioned gently, carefully. I was too young to recognise it then, but my mother was always rather suspicious of the Eaton's. Maybe I couldn't recognise it because I was completely unfamiliar with my mother displaying anything but Abegnation traits.

"He's at home, where he should be." Marcus said stiffly.

"Oh dear, we can't have that, can we now? A young boy of his age shouldn't be eating at home alone. We have plenty of food to share. This would be a great opportunity for Caleb, Beatrice and Tobias to break bread and get to know each other."

"That's not necessary. I'm sure he's doing fine."

"I insist, Marcus." Mother said, the gently persistent tone in her voice showing that she wasn't about to give up.

"Fine. I'll go get the boy." Marcus snarled as he threw down his napkin to get out of his seat.

"There's no need for that. You continue talking about the Erudite situation with my husband, it sounds really serious, after all. Tris can go and get him." Mother turned to me expectantly. I slowly stood up out of my seat before bowing slightly and quickly going outside. The Eaton's lived in the house next to ours so I was at the door before I could even manage to be nervous. I had never talked to Tobias Eaton before in my life, and I was perfectly content with continuing this pattern. Remember, this was when I was Beatrice, not Tris. Beatrice was a shy, timid girl, who was more than happy to sit in the corner of the room and never be noticed.

I knocked on the plain grey door three times and waited. I heard some slow and gentle shuffling on the other side but the door still didn't open. I knocked again. Still, the door didn't open, but someone was definitely on the other side.

"Tobias? It's Beatrice Prior, from next door. My mum wanted me to invite you to dinner. Your dad is with us…" I trailed off cluelessly, confused as to why he hadn't opened the door.

"Hello Beatrice. Please wait here whilst go and get something more appropriate to wear." Tobias said curtly when the door finally opened. I remember looking at his plain grey T-Shirt and wondering what was so inappropriate about it. I stood by the door for a few minutes as he quickly dashed upstairs and re-appeared wearing a thick hoodie that covered his arms and neck. It became obvious to me during the short walk to my house that he really didn't want to attend our dinner, but of coarse he wasn't in the position to decline or disagree with anything that the elders wanted.

"How are you finding school, Beatrice?" Tobias asked nervously when we were a few metres away from my house, almost as if he was trying to delay the inevitable action of entering my house.

"It's alright, I suppose. Although, History Of Factions is such a bore. We're only learning about Abegnation at the moment. I can't wait until I'm twelve, like you, and I start learning about Dauntless." My eyes widened with excitement as I forgot where I was for a while but when I turned and saw Tobias' stunned expression at my completely un-Abegnation like behaviour. I suddenly remembered that I was talking to the only son of an Abegnation leader and I quickly composed myself.

"Er, I mean, it's absolutely fascinating learning about our ancestor's true struggles and their heroic and selfless action, Brother Tobias." I said in the gentle, harmonious voice that I heard my mother use on a daily basis. I looked over to Tobias, praying that he wasn't going to report me to his father, but instead I saw him looking at me with a strange, delighted light in his eyes. We stared at each other for a while, the both of us trying to figure each other out until we were interrupted by a low growl.

"What are you two talking about?" Marcus snarled, his dark shadow emerging from my doorway.

"Nothing. Brother Tobias and I were just discussing the rich and interesting history of Abegnation." I replied, willing Tobias to agree with me. But when I looked over to him I saw that he was as stiff as a plank and looking anywhere but his father.

"Well then. Come in, children. We are waiting for you." Marcus spoke more calmly now and walked back inside. I started to follow him but when I noticed that Tobias was still standing still I grabbed his hand and pulled him along with me, forgetting once again the Abegnation rules that had been drilled into my head since birth.

"Oh. Sorry." I said, my face flaming red, when I noticed that his eyes were locked on our joined hands.

We eventually arrived inside the house and settled ourselves around the dinner table. Tobias and I didn't talk to each other again that day, but I could feel his steady, calculating gaze observing me and my reactions to the friendly Abegnation chit chat that hummed across the table.


	2. Chapter 2

Tobias and I didn't talk again until a month or two after our first meeting. He approached me in the cafeteria, where I had been sitting alone and observing a rowdy group of Dauntless children.

"Hello." He had said casually, as though we were good friends.

"Hi." I replied unsurely. Tobias had been watching me for a while now across from the canteen and despite the fact that our eyes locked awkwardly many times, we had never talked to each other outside of our parent's supervision before. I didn't really know how to react to his watchful gaze so I just tried to ignore it.

"Is there anything I can assist you with, Brother Tobias?" I said, in the best impersonation of my mother that I could manage, after a moment or two of uncomfortable silence in which Tobias had been looking at me as though I was the most interesting thing in the room. Apparently my question was very entertaining to him because he began to smirk triumphantly the minute I pushed the words past my lips.

"Wow. That seems forced. Maybe you should rehearse it a few more times and then it won't sound as if your brother is putting a gun to your head." Tobias teased with a playful glint in his eyes. I almost choked when I realised that the ever-silent son of an Abegnation leader actually made a joke. I look around our surroundings to make sure that no one else had heard him, or that the loud Dauntless children behind me hadn't morphed into demonic clowns and I wasn't having a dream.

"Is something the matter, Beatrice?" Tobias asked with a smug look on his face.

"Dude, we met two months ago and since then we haven't talked. And don't you go thinking that I don't know that you've been watching me all this time, because I have. So yes, something is the matter!" I cried, not knowing how to act.

"Yeah… About the staring…" He said slowly with a thoughtful frown on his face. "I don't mean to be so creepy. It's just, you're not normal."

"Thanks, you sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself." I replied dryly, my eyebrows raised in suspicion. Tobias just rolls his eyes at me exasperatedly in return.

"You don't get it! I was like you too, but then I realised that not everything here is perfect. I've noticed that you've been looking at the Dauntless kids quite a lot, right? Why do-" Tobias' attempt at trying to get me to understand whatever crazy idea that he was trying to convince me of was cut in half by the arrival of my brother.

"Tobias, what a pleasure it is to see you here. Is there anything I can assist you with?" Caleb said curtly in a more perfected, heartfelt tone than the one I had just attempted a few minutes earlier. The contrast between my brother and I's speech was apparently way too amusing for Tobias as he tried to stifle a laugh before he leant over the table and whispered in my ear.

"Wait for me after school… Please." He said in a low voice, making sure that my brother didn't hear. He politely bowed to my brother and calmly walked out of the room without looking back.

"I do hope he wasn't bothering you, Beatrice." Caleb remarked offhandedly as he was rummaging through his backpack to find his lunch. I just shrugged carelessly in reply; my mind was wandering through a far more interesting thought than the one my brother was presenting me with. What on earth was Tobias going on about? And why the sudden comfort and friendliness around me since our last meeting?

"Beatrice, we do not _shrug. _We express our thoughts with our _voices. _And we do not display such certain disregard to our fellow community members!" Caleb scolded harshly, gesturing towards a lone Amity boy who sat across from us with a glum expression, rumpled clothes and nothing to eat.

"Honestly, Beatrice- when will you get it? Sometimes I wish you tried harder to be selfless, like you're meant to be!" Caleb continued to rant at me loudly, unknowingly attracting the attention of the rest of the cafeteria. It wasn't often that an Abegnation raised their voice. And it wasn't often that I was humiliated in front of the whole school either.

With an angry growl I pushed my lunch towards the poor boy (perhaps a little too forcefully as it promptly slid its way off of the table) and stormed out of the room with my grey draw string bag screwed up in my hands.

I drifted through the school aimlessly, my eyes unconsciously scanning every corridor for something unknown to me at the time. However, it soon seemed as though I had finally found whatever my sub conscious was looking for as my posture sagged in relief when I found Tobias sitting alone by a windowsill in the Maths corridor.

"What were you trying to tell me before? About things not being perfect?" I ask as soon as I see him, not bothering with the usual greetings. Something about Tobias' presence makes me feel more relaxed, like I don't have to be careful of everything I do and or constantly live exactly by the rules set by my family.

"Where's your brother? I thought you spent break times with him." Was all Tobias said in reply.

"He's not here. I just got a big lecture from him about I'm a useless Abegnation and how I'm a disappointment to my family, pretty much. They think I don't try enough to be selfless, but I do, Tobias. I really do." I whispered, my voice breaking and before I knew it I could feel my eyes watering.

"Hey, don't cry." Tobias murmured gently, sliding off of the window sill and giving me a small hug.

"This is why I've been watching you all this time. You and I, we're so alike. I try hard to fit in, be how they want me to be. But I just can't. Whatever I do, I seem to mess things up. I can never do anything right." At first his voice started off gentle, comforting, but it soon turned bitter and hateful towards the end and his dark blue eyes darkened.

"It just sucks. It comes so easily to all the others, why is it that we're struggling?" I ask weakly, looking up at my new friend.

"I don't know, Beatrice. All I do know, it that we've got to stick together until the choosing ceremony."

"Ugh. That's six years for me and four years for you. Huh, six and four. That's quite a way away."

"Yeah. Do you think that you're going to be able to handle me for four years?" Tobias says playfully, nudging my in the stomach with his elbow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. I love you all so much! The Divergent fandom reviews so much more than the Potter fandom does so I was extremely pleased when I read all of your reviews and favourites and subscriptions. Please carry on reviewing, it really does inspire me to write more!**

"I have decided that I do not like your name." I declared one day when Tobias and I were strolling through the long way home. It had been a while since we formed out little friendship and we were now joined at the hip.

"That's very nice of you?" Tobias asked me bemusedly.

"I'm not saying that to be mean." I quickly assured. "It's just that, Tobias doesn't suit you at all. It's such an innocent, Abnegation name- which you're anything but." I continue, thinking of the time when Tobias had sneakily tied my brother's laces together for making me cry after he told me that I was a disgrace and that my parents were ashamed of me.

"I get what you mean. I've never really like it anyway. But you've got to call me something. How about a nickname?" He suggested.

"Like what? Toby?" We simultaneously scrunched our noses in disgust and exchanged a disgusted look at this before bursting into a content, carefree laugh.

"Toby should stay far away from the list, I think."

"How about Four? It's kind of motivational, don't you think? It reminds us that you only have a bit until your free of this place. I know it sounds a bit weird to have a number as a name but its unique, different. Its-"

"-Dauntless" We finish together, our young voices loud with excitement.

"I love it. If I ever have a kid, you are so naming it." Tobias declared loudly.

We stood in the middle of the abandoned field for a moment or two, grinning at each other like madmen.

"Now we need to pick something out for you. Beatrice isn't exactly very fierce, is it?" Tobias said thoughtfully, referring to our mutual ambition of becoming Dauntless. I just nodded vigorously in agreement. I have loathed my Abegnation name ever since I could remember.

"Well, if my name is Four, then you could be called Six…"

"I don't think so." I said with a gentle shake of my head.

"It'll just remind me that I have to stay longer than you in this place and I'll be spending the last two years all alone." I continued bitterly.

"Okay, okay. How about Bea? Yeah, your right, that is horrid. How about Tris? Yeah, I like it. Tris. What do you think?" Four asked me eagerly.

Tris. I considered the name in my mind. It was short, simple, plain but effective. Just like me.

"I like it. Well done, Four." I congratulated my friend, my mood now chipper.

"Thank you, Tris."

"Do you want to head home now, Four?"

"Yeah, let's go, Tris."

"Wait for me, Four." We continued on like this for the rest of the evening, the both of us leaping at any opportunity to use each other's new, secret names. Although we seemed to lose track of the time during the creation of our new names, it turns out that our families did not. And boy, would we have to pay the price.

"You're late. Again." Caleb stated coldly when Tobias and I finally strolled up to our houses.

"Yeah. Sorry. There was a little-"

"I don't care for your excuses, Beatrice. Go inside. Now." My brother commanded.

"Oh, and Brother Tobias, your father is waiting for you in your house. He didn't look too happy with your tardiness. I suggest that you hurry home." Caleb added with a distasteful glare at my friend. Four almost instantly stiffened at the mention of his father, and he began to pale when Caleb described his anger.

"Tobias, are you okay? Can you hear me? Tobias!" I cried hopelessly, my hatred for my brother increasing more and more with each second that Tobias didn't respond.

"Boy! There you are! What time do you call this?" A low voice echoed through the street as a shadow emerged from Tobias's doorway. Tobias squeezed my hand and almost as if this gesture brought him the courage he needed, he bowed my brother and I farewell before walking back to his house, his head facing the floor and his posture slumped.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Tobias was nowhere to be seen. I scanned the building every chance I got until Caleb finally snapped.

"He is not here, Beatrice, so stop acting like a love-struck Amity fool and sit down." He hissed. I had been trying to peer over the heads of a group of particularly tall Candor teenagers. I didn't know what it was with Caleb lately, but he was acting even more mean and insensitive than usual towards me.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask him angrily, plopping myself down loudly on the seat next to him.

"Nothing. If anything, I should be asking you what _your _problem is. Why, after all this time do you feel the need to mess things up with that Eaton boy? Everything was fine before he came into the picture, we were friends, and we were close. And now that he's here you never even spend any time with me. Am I not enough for you? Is our family not enough for you?" Caleb ranted, his face screwed up in hurt and rage.

"You really don't understand at all, do you? You don't know anything about me." I mutter, disappointed that my own brother of all people doesn't understand me.

"You're the worst brother ever." I spat, glaring at him. "Can you not see that I hate every minute of my life here in Abegnation? I'm going to get out of this hell hole the second I can, and I'm not even going to look back. But until then, I'm going to try and act selfless, to be the perfect little girl that you're always trying to make me. Tobias understands me, he sees that I'm trying my best- and he appreciates that." My voice softened for the last part and I could feel myself pleading my brother to understand.

"You really think that I'm a bad brother?" He said, looking up at me with tears in his eyes. I can't bring myself to care. Compared to the amount of times he brought me to tears himself, this display is pathetic.

"I don't think. I know. Who else would scold me at every opportunity? Who else would make me feel horrible about myself on a daily basis? Who else could possibly be so blind to my efforts to fit it?" I said harshly before packing my things and storming out of the hall once again.

The journey back home after that was an awkward affair. Usually, I would go off with Tobias and mess about with him in the old abandoned fields for a bit before returning home, but today in his absence I was forced to pathetically trail behind my brother as he politely conversed with our neighbours, Robert and Susan.

"Beatrice!" I heard a faint voice call and my brother and I turned around to see Tobias jogging up to me. Thankfully, our neighbours were far too immersed in their own conversation to be distracted by Tobias' loud display.

"Tobias! What are you doing here? I thought you were ill." I asked him as he slowly walked towards me. I could feel my suspicion rising as I observed the unnecessary reappearance of his worn, thick hoodie jumper again.

"Sorry, if could just borrow your sister for a second. We have some to talk about some school work-" Tobias lied to my brother pathetically but I quickly cut in.

"-You don't need to explain yourself to _him_. I will see you at home, Caleb." I said coldly before leading Tobias towards our old field.

"Are two okay?" Four asked me gently when we were a good distance away from the others.

"Yeah, we're fine. I just finally told him that I hate it here and that I'm going to leave as soon as I can and that he's a horrid brother. But that's enough about me, what's going on with you?" I ask, pulling at sleeves of his dark grey hoodie.

"Okay, I'm about to tell you something that may be a bit beyond your eleven years. Yes, I know, you've always been very mature, it's just that what I'm about to tell you is really serious, okay?" Four explained hesitantly, in a grave and solemn voice.

"Four what's going on? You're scaring me."

"It'll be easier if I showed you." He said quietly before gently pulling off his hoodie as well as the vest that he was wearing underneath. My eyes filled up with tears when I saw the terrifyingly vast range of scars that splayed across his torso. Most of them were dull purple in colour, some of them sickeningly yellow, some scabbed over with dried blood and the rest were clear scars.

"Marcus." I whispered, not even having to ask who put my friend through this pain. "Can I… Hug you?" I asked Four hesitantly. I hugged him tightly, careful not to touch his wounds, as soon as I saw his gentle nod. Physical touching was unheard of in Abegnation but something in me wanted to show that I cared for him. Four gingerly wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back, resting his chin on my head.

"You are the strongest, most Dauntless person I've ever seen." I whisper, pulling away from him.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've heard a few things about the Dauntless initiation and I've found that it's not nearly as easy as ours. Only the best get to become Dauntless and the rest become factionless." My eyes widen at this news. That was incredibly unfair and unjust. But clearly it was the Dauntless way.

"So… We've got to make sure that we get in at all costs. I have to do everything I can to get away from Marcus, Tris." He continued with a determined look. It was then that I promised myself that I would do anything and everything I could to ensure that Four would live the happy life that he deserved after he was sixteen.

"You're not suggesting that we start training from now, do you?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting." He whispered with a small smirk.

"But how are we going to gather all the right equipment? I know for a fact that we need punching bags and knives, even guns! How are we going to get our hands on those?"

"Well, my dear Tris, whilst you were in school learning about the _oh so fascinating _history of our faction, I was using my sick leave to search through the factionless area. I managed to gather quite an impressive collection of equipment, come and see." Four explained before grabbing my hand and leading me to an old abandoned building. It was really tall and looked like it was made entirely of shattered and grimy glass.

"What is this place?" I asked, eagerly observing the hazardous piles of rubble and wires that la randomly over the floor.

"I don't know, but it's a neat hiding spot, I can tell you. See?" Four said as he began to rummage through a large crack in the wall. I quickly ran over when I saw him struggling with a sorry looking punching bag. It had been split open in a few places and the stuffing was falling out as we managed to drag it into the middle of the first floor of the building. But it didn't stop there. Soon, a brand-new looking dartboard joined the punching bag as well as some matching darts. Then a fairly thick length of rope was thrown onto the pile, along with some dirty bandages and a knife that was so blunt that it looks like a thin slab of metal.

"This is amazing." I cried once we had managed to pull everything out of the crack. I heard Four hum in agreement as he stood next to me. We stood there, admiring Four's collection for a while.

"How about we get to work?" I suggested eagerly Four beamed at me in agreement and we both started what would be the first of many training sessions to come.

We arrived home, sweaty and late. Once again we had lost track of time and hopefully this time, Four wouldn't have to pay the price. My heart almost stopped when I saw my family standing outside our house with Marcus, all of them wearing a concerned look on their faces.

"Where have you two been?" Marcus and my dad asked at the same time. The contrast in their voices made me shiver and be all the more grateful that my father did not believe in violence. Whilst my father's voice was worried, Marcus' was furious and hateful. Four and I just stuttered nervously, trying to make up a valid excuse for our absence. Marcus was becoming more and more angry with each second that we didn't speak. I actually thought that he was going to start beating Four there and then, in the middle of the street, by the murderous looks that Marcus was giving him.

"I'm ever so sorry, Mr Eaton, Father and Mother. But it seems that I forgot to tell you!" Caleb said suddenly from where he was standing at the back of the group. Everyone's attention turned to him and my heart started beating so fast that I think Four heard it himself because he soon slipped his hand into mine and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Forgot what, boy?" Marcus growled, making Caleb shrink visibly.

"On our way back home, an Amity farmer woman approached us and asked if two of us could spare our time to help her out on her farm. Her husband had passed away recently and since she was quite old, she needed the help. Of coarse, Tobias, Beatrice and I all said we'd help but she said she only wanted Tobias since he was older and stronger, and Beatrice because she's slimmer and would be a better person to pick the apples from the trees. That must be why they look so tired." Caleb explained quickly whilst Four and I stared at him in awe and shock. What on earth was going on?

My father turned to me with a huge smile on his face.

"I am so proud of you, Beatrice! And here I was, worrying that you're not as selfless as your brother. And you, Tobias, you are just as selfless as Beatrice here. I am honoured to have such selfless and perfect children. Come inside now, Beatrice, you must be tired from all that farmworker!" He cried before ushering my family in. With one last, glum look at Four I entered the house. As soon as my mother and father retired to the sitting room I pulled Caleb to one side.

"What was that about?" I hissed, some of my suspicion accidentally seeping into my voice.

"You were right, Beatrice, I haven't been a very good brother lately. And truly, I'm sorry about that. Don't think that I scold you just for the sake of it, whatever I do, I do it for you. And I guess if your happy spending your time with Tobias, then who am I to complain? Now, I'm not happy whatsoever about having to lie to all these respected people but what they don't know can't hurt them, right?...Why are you looking at me like that?" As soon as he finished explaining I launched myself onto Caleb and gave him the biggest hug ever.

"Thank you, so much. I'll never forget this. Nor will Tobias." I whispered with a gentle smile.


End file.
